By Evans Worlanyo Ameamu, GNA
Keta (VR), March 5, GNA – Some dealers in alcoholic energy drinks and beverages in the Keta Municipality of the Volta Region, have pledged to comply with directives from the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), to remove unauthorised and dangerous drinks from their shelves.
The pledge comes after the FDA warned the dealers to adhere to the authority’s rules and regulations to ensure public safety, by removing all unauthorised and potentially harmful alcoholic beverages from the market.
Madam Seyram Awunoor, a bar operator at Tetevikope, a suburb of Keta, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, promised to comply with the FDA’s directives.
“I am highly committed to work with the Authority to ensure that only safe and authorised alcoholic beverages and drinks are sold in my stores, we will cooperate to ensure the safety of our communities,” she said.
She commended the FDA for the initiative to crack down on the sale of unauthorised and counterfeit alcoholic energy drinks across the country and cited concerns over the health risks they posed to consumers.
She appealed to other bars and pubs who sold a range of alcoholic beverages, including those drinks containing both depressant substances and stimulants such as cocaine, inositol, glucuronolactone, ginseng, and guarana, to comply with the FDA and show their commitment to the directives.
“The FDA has warned that it will take strict action against anyone found selling unauthorised or counterfeit alcoholic energy drinks, including prosecution and fines.”
She suggested that the FDA and relevant authorities should organise educative public programmes on the dangers of consuming unauthorised and counterfeit alcoholic energy drinks.
This could help in preventing serious health problems, including poisoning and death among the youth.
Mr Freeman Adzidobo, another pub operator, told the GNA that several bar operators and some youth were not aware of the health hazards associated with consuming unauthorised drinks and called for stronger and collaborative engagement to curb the situation.
He proposed that the FDA should deploy more staff to the communities to educate the public, as well as ensure that such unauthorised drink were totally eradicated from the system to safeguard lives.
He called on the consumers to be vigilant and report any suspicious or unauthorised alcoholic energy to the FDA or the police for better actions to be taken and lamented about how the FDA has earlier band some drinks and drugs which were still in the system.
He also applauded the move by the FDA and described the efforts as a way to protect public health and safety, particularly among the most vulnerable people.
Meanwhile, the FDA had announced working with various stakeholders, including law enforcement agencies, to identify and remove counterfeit and unauthorised alcoholic energy drinks from the market, while the move was also seen as a significant step towards ensure that only safe and authorised alcoholic drinks are sold in the country to protect the health and well-being of consumers.
The FDA on February 25, issued a public notice on the removal of all mixed drinks containing both depressant substances (alcohol) and stimulants such as caffeine, inositol, glucuronolactone, ginseng, and guarani from the market, after an international and regional regulatory precedents assessment account where several countries have restricted, suspended, or banned alcoholic energy drinks because of associated public health risks.
The move was in accordance to Sections 81 and 82 (a) of the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851) and the purpose of the initiative was to enforce standards necessary to protect public health and safety.
The regulatory requirement was that manufacturers must re‑formulate these mixed drinks, to meet separate standards for alcoholic beverages and energy drinks treated as distinct product categories, to ensure compliance and protect public health.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Christabel Addo